Iraqi authorities reported several people died while others were injured during the horrific protests that took place when hundreds of protesters stormed the government palace in Baghdad on Monday following a prominent cleric's political walkout.
There were reports that at least 15 people have lost their lives while others put the number of casualties at 12. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq has called on protesters to leave Baghdad's International Zone and vacate all governmental buildings.
Chaotic Iraqi Protests
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said that Antonio Guterres has been following the protests in the country with concern. Dujarric noted that Guterres was particularly concerned about reports of casualties.
The Secretary-General has appealed for calm and restraint and urged all relevant actors to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation and avoid any violence. Guterres strongly urges all parties and actors to rise above their differences and to engage, without further delay, in a peaceful and inclusive dialogue on a constructive way forward, said Dujarric, as per Fox News.
The violent, chaotic protests unfolded after Muqtada al-Sadr, an influential Shiite cleric, announced that he was resigning from his political post. Those who were loyal to al-Sadr pulled down the cement barriers outside the government palace with ropes and breached the palace gates.
Many of the demonstrators rushed into the lavish salons and marbled halls of the palace, which is a key meeting place for Iraqi heads of state and foreign dignitaries. Iraq's military quickly announced a nationwide curfew and the caretaker premier suspended Cabinet sessions in response to the violence.
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According to the Washington Post, by late evening, gunfire and explosions were rattling windows across the capital, as long-simmering political arguments gave way to the deployment of heavy weapons and mortar rounds.
Prominent Cleric's Political Walkout
The violent protests were the most serious during a summer of unrest in Iraq, which has been without a government for the better part of a year and captive to escalating feuds between political factions, including followers of the cleric al-Sadr and rival Shiite groups that are supported by Iran.
Sadr's followers conducted the protest after he quit politics, an action that he has threatened to make before, during years in the public eye. However, the decision could have more serious consequences in the charged political climate, and with the country ruled by a caretaker government.
In other areas of Iraq, Sadr's supporters blocked roads and government buildings, including in Basra, to the south. The UN mission said in a statement that Iraqis cannot be held hostage in an unpredictable and untenable situation.
The political dysfunction of the region, a feature of civic life since the U.S. invasion nearly two decades ago, entered its latest phase in October last year. At the time, Sadr won the largest number of seats in parliament but failed to form a government.
Iraqi President Barham Salih also urged calm, saying in a Monday statement that "the difficult circumstance that our country is going through requires everyone to abide by calm, restraint, prevent escalation, and ensure that the situation does not slip into unknown and dangerous labyrinths in which everyone will lose," CNN reported.
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